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Ashwin may be picked for ODIs vs England

R Ashwin is expected to be picked ahead of Harbhajan for the ODI series against England. (Getty Images)

New Delhi: Off spinner R Ashwin is expected to be picked ahead of Harbhajan Singh when the senior selection committee meets on Saturday to pick the ODI and T20 squads for the series against England.

Harbahajan, who contracted an abdomen injury during the second Test leading to his being ruled out of the remaining two games, has faced severe criticism for failing to deliver as India's frontline spinner.

Amit Mishra, who is expected to play in the third Test, and Pragyan Ojha, who has been sent in as Harbhajan's replacement will slug it out for the other spinners' spot.

The big question though will be whether the selection committee will name Yuvraj Singh, who has been ruled out of the remaining Test series with a finger injury. He's expected to be fit before the start of the ODI series and will form an extremely important part if the World Champions are to hammer the English at home.

The ODI batting lineup pretty much selects itself with Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir having recovered from injuries. Sachin Tendulkar, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli will also walk into the team. The ODI squad may signal the return of Rohit Sharma, who had a good run on the West Indies tour.

Among the pacers, Munaf Patel and Praveen Kumar are expected to the picked, unless one of them picks up another injury.

While pace spearhead Zaheer Khan may be rested. According to Board sources, senior pacer Zaheer Khan may be rested for the ODI series keeping in mind the tight schedule of the national team that includes Test series against the West Indies and Australia.

The selection committee may also pick another wicketkeeper as backup for Dhoni.